WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A solar storm that shook the Earth's magnetic field on Thursday spared satellite and power systems as it delivered a glancing blow, although it could still intensify until early Friday, space weather experts said.
The geomagnetic storm surging from the sun was initially expected to be strong enough to disrupt power grids, airplane traffic and space-based satellite navigation systems. But government scientists on Thursday downgraded their prediction on the intensity of the storm - a big cloud of charged particles spawned by two solar flares.